|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| A new CD featuring Will Todd’s Requiem and Durham Jazz Evensong A new CD featuring Will Todd's Requiem and Durham Jazz Evensong is released this week. Scored for the unusual forces of choir, solo soprano and electric guitar, the Requiem is a unique piece. It was commissioned by Cambridge-based choir The Fairhaven Singers, who feature on this recording under their conductor Ralph Woodward, and premiered in Cambridge and London earlier this year. Durham Jazz Evensong surprises and delights - a far remove from the Stanford and Parry that Will Todd sang as a youngster - with funky beats and gospel harmonies juxtaposing the traditional Book of Common Prayer words. Designed to be performed liturgically, it was premiered at St Oswald's Church, Durham, in 2008. Venite is a setting for Youth Choir. Composer Will Todd is probably best known for his 2003 jazz mass setting Mass in Blue, which has been performed more than fifty times by choirs around the UK and abroad. Other notable works include his oratorio St Cuthbert (recorded by the Hallй Orchestra); the choral cantata The Burning Road, and the opera The Blackened Man which won second prize in the 2001 Giuseppe Verdi Opera Competition. Under conductor Ralph Woodward, the Fairhaven Singers have earned a reputation for innovative programming and high-quality performances, exploring a wide-ranging repertoire. Ralph Woodward is also Musical Director of the Britten-Pears Chamber Choir, with whom he premiered Will Todd's How Shall I Tell of Such Love to Me? in Ipswich and Paris in 2007. The Requiem recording features soprano Bethany Halliday, and electric guitarist Thomas Gray. Bethany was described as "a remarkably versatile musician" by MusicOMH.com, and also appears on Will Todd's Mass in Blue for Signum Classics. Thomas Gray is a self-taught guitarist who has worked with artists including Brian May and Roger Taylor (Queen), Rod Argent (The Zombies) and the BBC Concert Orchestra. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |